Review: Verizon Global Modem USB730L (USB Cellular Modem)

The USB730L is externally nearly identical to its predecessor, including the single tiny unofficial antenna port lurking on the side.

The Novatel Global Modem USB730L is Verizon's latest USB cellular modem, released in July 2017.

It replaced the Novatel Global USB U620L, which was released in July 2015.

The updated model is very similar but the USB730L has a Cat 6 cellular modem (max theoretical speed of 300Mbps) while the U620L had a Cat 4 modem (max theoretical speed of 150Mbps).

This potential speed doubling is exciting - but a substantial performance advantage will only really show up under ideal network conditions.

But the future headroom as Verizon evolves its network is certainly nice to have.

Specifications

Model #: 730L (MC730)
# of Connected Devices: Single device via USB
Control Panel and Default Password:
Control Panel: http://my.usb/ or http://192.168.1.1
Default Password: "admin"
USB Tethering Support: Yes
WifiRanger: Untested
Pepwave: Untested
Cradlepoint: Untested
Supported Networks and Bands:
Verizon LTE Bands: 2, 4, 5, 13Global Roaming on LTE Bands: 3, 4
4G/3G: HSPA+ 850/1900/2100MHz - Global roaming supported.
3G: Verizon CDMA EVDO Supported
2G: GSM EDGE - Quad band global roaming.
LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: Yes (2x 20MHz channels)
MIMO Support: 2X2 internal
LTE Performance Category: Category 6
(Max Theoretical Speed: 300Mbps Down / 50Mbps Up)
Cellular Antenna Ports: Single unofficial "test port" - TS9 connector.
Other Ports: N/A
Wi-Fi Technology / Frequencies: N/A
Claimed Battery Life: N/A - no battery
Can Be Powered Without a Battery: Yes
Dimensions: 3.27'' x 1.38'' x 0.45'' / 2.08 oz
SIM Card Type: 4FF / Nano SIM
Retail Price: $249 (original price)

Review & Testing Status

Novatel sent us a review unit. Members can follow along with our testing here: Cellular Equipment Field Testing Results – Netgear Modems / USB730 (Late 2017)

Overall the unit works as advertised but a dedicated mobile hotspot device (Jetpack) will be more powerful, more useful and cheaper for the majority of users.

Unboxing Video & First Impressions

Here is our product unboxing video, and initial thoughts:

Potential Alternatives to Consider:

For other popular mobile hotspots on the market - here are our featured options:

Learn More About Selecting LTE Hotspots

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